Left hand page of a two-page spread labelling and detailing all the controls of the Gibson Les Paul Triumph bass. Produced in 1971, on the model's launch - this brochure gives some details of the low impedance pickups, and the associated controls, however the majority of these descriptions appear on 3

The pickups had a very special design, and were intricately linked to the tone switch. Each setting allowed a different number of coil turns into the circuit, the more turns, the fatter the sound. As Gibson described it 'deep bass'. This was in total contrast to previous basses that used a capacitor to choke certain frequency ranges or it's six string sibling, the Les Paul Recording guitar, that used the tone switch to bypass certain controls.

Interestingly, the tone switch settings in the image below are back to front with respect to the actual bass - they are repeated correctly, however, on the next page.

To produce a revolutionary instrument like the new Les Paul Bess, you need more than just fine materials. You need expert innovators, skilled craftsmen and knowledgeable engineers who know acoustics and electronics inside and out. You also need a man who is an expert in the guitar field to advise and recommend features and specifications that will cause the finished product to be unique and distinctive. Gibson, long recognized as the world's leading guitar manufacturer, met these requirements when they combined their talents with the knowledgeable recommendations of a man who has come to be known to millions of music lovers as "Mr. Guitar"... Les Paul.